Advertisement - Continue reading below

Definition of "shanty" [shan•ty]

  • A roughly built, often ramshackle cabin; a shack. (noun)
  • Variant of chantey. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "shanty" in a sentence
  • "He crossed the open glade, was, nearly at the shanty, when he heard voices -- loud, coarse voices -- _coming from his shanty_."
  • "Father would disapprove of his daughter settling for what he called a shanty Irish beau."
  • "WAGNER: He became a different -- he was one of those what they refer to as shanty Irish."